Vintage woman's earrings ear hoops. Made of aluminum in Vietnam by the Hmong minority group, mid 20th century.
Measurements:
Weight is 10.9 grams. 2 1/2 inches (6.5cm) across at widest part.
Description :
Huge earrings made of a flat sheet of decorated aluminum with a myriad of dangling bits around the bottom circumference. Front end of the earrings with scrolled edges like snails, widening towards the bottom and then tapering to a narrow, scrolled edge at the back end. The wide surface is engraved with various traditional designs, including zig-zags, triangular sunburst, flowers and circles. Very finely engraved. An additional pattern formed by the wires connecting the dangling details at the bottom. Signs of colored enamel in the flowers.
Definite left and right earring so that the snail scrolls will appear on the front of the ear.
The previous owner made the earrings wearable for people with tiny holes in their lobes, by adding wire hooks. The hooks do not impinge on the original earrings in any way and can be easily removed if the new owner so desires.
Very big look, yet light as a feather and comfortable to wear thanks to the added wires.
Marks and Metal:
none.
Condition:
Minor wear commensurate with age. Please see enlarged pictures and don't hesitate to ask questions which we will do our best to answer.
THE STORY:
The Hmong are the 6th largest ethnic group in Vietnam, known for their beautiful handwork, including silver jewelry. Large hoops are popular. This pair is particularly interesting due to the beautiful engraved patterns and the dangling details.
After I bought these earrings, I received an email from the previous owner with a lot of information about them. Apparrently, the Hmong women wore their jewelry on a daily basis and like other ethnic jewelry, it conveyed much about the owner. Originally, earrings like this were made of silver, but as times got hard and women needed to sell their jewelry or could not afford to make it from silver any longer, they turned to aluminium (and other metals). What is particularly fascinating is the source of this aluminium: downed French aeroplanes or, in some cases, soda cans.
